


It Is Your Duty

by GingerBurst



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Gen, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2017, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerBurst/pseuds/GingerBurst
Summary: The king is gone, their savior sent, and a madman bent on power. All that is left, is duty.
Relationships: Impa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 2





	It Is Your Duty

Prompt: "Duty"

Rain thundered against the world outside their shelter, a shallow space built into the side of a sheer hillside just big enough for the two of them and a small fire. Water beat against thick trees, rushed over their leaves, and against ground and stone. The stream a few meters away from them completely silent under its roar. Small crackles from the fire could barely make their way over the sound of the rain, echoed somewhat against the stone.

Sitting up against the inner wall, the warm fire serving as a barrier between her and the cold, was a child no more than ten. Small, pale arms wrapped around her legs and taught hands clutching her white dress skirt. Soaked to the bone, the light cloth wasn’t drying quickly enough, and only a few minutes ago had stopped being cold. She’d lost her head piece at some point, leaving her short hay colored hair to hang limp over her shoulders and face.

“Your highness,” started her silver haired caretaker, never pulling her gaze from the flames lest it cease burning. Impa’s voice, strong with its age, was soft in its approach. “We must keep going. It’s no longer safe for you. The castle, the king, has fallen. We must retreat and build up for the future.”

There was no verbal response, only the youngster curling up tighter for a few minutes. Small feet scuffled against the dirt, sniffling after she readjusted to be more comfortable. The elder’s gloved hand moved over to pet through her hair, smoothing it down. What were normally well brushed and pampered locks had taken a beating from the rush into the wind and rain on horseback, to flee and never look back. Slowly, the small child’s tense shoulders evened out, white knuckles relaxing back into cold sickly red. Lifting her head, she turned red ringed, tired blue eyes up to the adult.

“Is… he really gone?”  
“Your highness,” Impa hesitated only a moment. “You saw it with your own eyes. You tell me.”  
“He’s gone then,” she hiccupped.

Impa moved to sit on her ankles, scooting closer to the young ruler, and settling down next to her. Wrapping an arm around her tiny frame, made smaller from confusion and fear and rain, the body guard pulled her into her lap. Hugging her close, Impa tucked the blondes head against her shoulder.

“Your clothes are soaked, but you’ll have to keep them on for a while. We have nothing to keep you warm but the fire. You must have courage, your highness.” She stared out the opening to their shelter, watching the falling rain turn to mist amongst the tree trunks.  
“But I’m not… I’m not brave. Not like-“  
“It does not matter. You are the heir to the throne. Regardless of what is thrown in your path you must be brave, even if that bravery isn’t real.” Zelda, quite unladylike, sniffled and snorted back an oncoming drizzle from her nose.  
“Link will save us, right?”  
“You cannot put your whole faith on one person. It’s a fools gamble to act like that.”  
“But I saw it,” she whispered, fingering the worn edge of Impa’s metal chest plate that curled up around a breast. “I see things.”  
“You are a princess. You must prepare for the worst, and take action upon yourself. You will have to learn to do this, to take action for your people. To be strong for them. Do you understand?”  
“Why me?”  
“You and you alone will take up your father’s throne. You will have to trust in yourself, to avenge him, to avenge the future crimes against our country in Their name. It is your duty, your divine right in your blood to rule and seek justice against your enemies. Do you understand?”

Things were quiet. The rain had ceased its thundering, but continued its onslaught on the foreign soil surrounding them. Zelda sniffed again a few times, deciding that her royal robes were stupid and wiping her face on the right sleeve. When she was safely sniffle free, she buried her face against her care-taker’s neck, reveling in her warm skin and rhythmic pulse.

“I understand.”

**Author's Note:**

> In 2017 a full NaNo story was impossible to do for me, so I decided to mash it with Inktober / Daily prompts instead so that some friends could participate with some lower stakes. And also to encourage a multitude of writing, rather than getting stuck in the same 50K word work. The format was "daily prompt + minimum word/page count". We didn't get through it, sadly~ But I have some backlog, and with a new AO3 account might as well throw them somewhere.
> 
> Critique welcome and encouraged, even if this is old.  
> (Damn this is shorter than I thought it was)


End file.
